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Amplifier Pairing with Coherent 15s

Hello all,

About to finalize an order for a pair of Coherent 15s (yay!) and now I'm starting to look at possibilities for amplification for them. Since they are very efficient (I believe 106db efficiency), they can work well with flea amps+, so there's a wide range of possibilities.

I have a few criteria though: I would prefer an integrated amplifier vs separates/mono blocks, both for cost and space reasons, so something like AirTight is out (plus, a bit too expensive anyway). Looking around the $10k range at the higher end.

I don't listen to things super loud, and tend to prefer tube amplification. Music tends to lean majority Jazz, with some other things throw in here and there, but Jazz is the most important genre to get right.

Frank (from Coherent) recommended a couple -

Tektron Two 2A3/50S-i
Mastersound Compact 300B

Some others I've looked into:

Tektron Two 211-i
LTA ZOTL Ultralinear Integrated

I do have a few concerns with hand-crafted, more 'custom' made amps, especially by manufacturers overseas (I'm in the US) - mainly inability to demo them and ease of service/warranty. They also tend to be more difficult to sell in the case of deciding to go a different route, though this is of a lesser concern.

Anyone have any experience with any of these, have any other suggestions to explore, or any other comments?

 

128x128mmcgill829
mmcgill829's avatar
mmcgill829 OP
145 posts
 

@alexberger I was originally looking at both the 18 and the 15 models, but the 18 was outside of my price range a bit. I ended up getting a good deal on the 18 that made it work with my budget nicely, so decided to go that way after all. just made more sense to go for the top of the line since the price was right.

Either way, I would have been happy getting the 15 as well. If you have a smaller room, the 15 is likely a better match, I'd think, but chat with Frank @ Coherent and he can help you pick the best size for your room. He's very friendly and helpful, though expect somewhat longer response times (which is to be expected - he's busy making speakers!)

bjesien
1,251 posts
 

I almost bought them too but I just didn’t have the gonads to buy them without listening. Not knowing anything about the driver and the fact that every designer says they have the best bass…

let us know your impressions please.

alexberger
869 posts
 

Hi @bjesien ,

I put a number of videos from the Montreal audio show on YouTube.

Just search: "Montréal Audiofest Coherent Audio", "THE EIGHTEEN Coherent Audio - Allnic Audio - Kuzma - Montreal Audio 2023"

It can give you some idea about how it sounds.

bluethinker's avatar
bluethinker
108 posts
 

The LTA ultra linear (20 watts) and Audio Research I50 would both be excellent choices. I have the LTA preamp and it is magical. I’ve heard the newish AR I50 and it was spectacular. 
 

 

mmcgill829's avatar
mmcgill829 OP
145 posts
 

As a follow up to this since its been a few months...

I actually decided on going with the Coherent 18 speakers instead of the 15s, and I put a deposit down on a pre-amp and amplifier combo the other day and decided to go with Aric Audio.

Preamp - Super 6SN7 Linestage
Amplifier - Super 2A3 SET

This set pretty much tops out my budget, but after speaking with another Coherent 18 owner who loves them, talking with Aric, and looking into reviews, they seem like a great choice.

Other than that, a major selling point for me is that they are made in the US. I'm not really a 'made in US' only buyer (clearly, given the Coherents are Canadian), but for tube amplifiers, I prefer for peace of mind when it comes to potential future repairs. I've read many horror stories about amplifiers made overseas and trying to get service done being not only a huge hassle, but expensive with shipping and long down time.

Going the separates route will also give me greater flexibility with amp experimentation in the future, should I want to try out different SET amplifiers, since it's often easier to come across stereo/mono amps versus integrated with SET.

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